July 28, 2013: Divine Liturgy for 1025th Anniversary of Baptism of Rus’ in St. Vladimir Memorial Church

On Sunday, July 28, the All-Diocesan St. Vladimir’s Day Celebrations were held at St. Vladimir Memorial Church in Jackson, NJ. The celebrations were organized by the Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Church Abroad, and dedicated to the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’ and the 75th anniversary of the church’s founding. Clergy who came to the celebrations from America, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus greeted His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. The archpastors, clergy, and multitudinous pilgrims piously greeted three wonderworking icons of the Mother of God that have graced the celebrations with their presence: the Kursk Root Icon, the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian Icon, and the Pochaev Icon.

The choir of St. Vladimir Memorial Church sang prayerfully at the Liturgy under the direction of Deacon Alexander Petrovsky. Many singers came from afar in order to honor the memory of the Enlightener of Rus’, which gave the celebrations an especially universal feel.